Discover These New Oklahoma Artists at NMF3

Graham Brewer breaks down three new Oklahoma bands that you need to check out at this year’s Norman Music Festival.

There are several reasons why you should go see the Tulsa/Norman joint venture, Broncho. The first of which is Ryan Lindsey. Remember him? He’s the adorable guy from Starlight Mints whose solo music makes your girlfriend all light-headed. Well now he’s playing in an in-your-face rock band, and… well, it makes him all the more adorable. And as a bonus, the music doesn’t suck. Broncho also boasts members of Native Lights and Unwed Sailor, and their up-tempo pop approach to garage rock makes for a satisfying listen that will keep you and your girlfriend interested.

Oklahoma Hip-Hop has seen significant gains in recent years. Groups like Little Earth, 8Bit Cynics, and Jabee have given all the area scenesters the ability to look cool at parties by talking about their “favorite local rapper,” and effectively paved the way for more hip-hop shows at traditionally indie and rock venues. I don’t know Dan Hahn aka Algebra or his story personally, so I can’t speak to whether or not he is a direct result of the work of the aforementioned artists, but what I can say is that his music is an impressive step in the same direction. I recently read that Algebra has been appreciating and writing poetry for years, and it definitely shows in the rapid-fire verbose of his genuine and creative lyrics.

Shitty/Awesome takes a page from the book of early punk, creating brash, noise heavy rock that sounds like the airy, distant vocals of Moon Duo over a Black Lips/Wipers hybrid. Considering that co-owner/founder of Guestroom Records Travis Searle, and music guru Will Muir are in this band, I think it is safe to assume that the varied influences of Shitty/Awesome are, well, awesome. Throw stoner rock darling Joey Powell and the guitar work of Derek Lemke in the mix and you’ve got a solid group of people who really understand and appreciate music. Hell, if you told me these guys were were starting a boy band that dabbles in Mongolian throat singing, and I would buy tickets to their debut performance. I might even wear bells to the show.